The 22-year-old is married, lives in Utah and is now a professional golfer with aspirations of playing on the LPGA Tour.

"I still claim Chicopee as home . . . it's still home to me," she said.

She made her fourth pro start yesterday, teeing off as Juli Erekson of Mapleton, Utah, at the Duramed Futures Tour's CIGNA Golf Classic.

Erekson opened with a 6-over-par 78 at Gillette Ridge Golf Club, at a three-day tournament that is the closest local stop made by the LPGA's developmental tour.

"It feels a little bittersweet, right now," she said. "It's really, really nice to be home . . . but I didn't score that well. I am going to have to go real low Sunday."

Erekson missed the cut in her first three tournaments, all in June, and kidded that she hasn't yet had a true taste of professional golf.

"I can claim to be a professional golfer, but it's not my job yet because I haven't made any money," she said. "This is something I have always dreamed about doing and I am just waiting for the time it all clicks."

Erekson struck the ball well Friday, hitting long and straight off the tee. A couple of bad swings and a tough lie led to three double bogeys and a tie for 76 entering Saturday's second round.

"I felt confident with my swing, I hit the ball well . . . I just made a few mistakes," Erekson said. "I drove the ball through the fairway a couple of times, I didn't think I'd hit it that far."

Erekson turned at 5 over before she made birdies at Nos. 2 and 4, her 11th and 13th holes of the day.

"I felt real good there," Erekson said of birdies that sandwiched a solid par. "Then I missed a short (birdie) putt at 6. I was in a divot on 7 and wasn't too sharp putting there (double bogey)." Erekson had her father Via Wightman as caddie yesterday. The longtime head pro at Holyoke Country Club was a fixture on the bag during her amateur days, before her stellar collegiate career at Brigham Young.

"He hadn't caddied for me in a long time," Erekson said. "In college, you're on your own for four years with a routine and what you do out there. So I think my dad had to re-learn me a little bit.

"My husband caddied for me the first two weeks, and my brother (Tele) did the third."

Erekson, who has been helped locally in sponsorship by Easthampton Bank, will play the next two weeks, at Syracuse, N.Y., and Concord, N.H.

"My game is there, the mental mistakes can make a difference," said Erekson, whose pink PING golf bag was decorated with large fuzzy baboon head cover. "I had a gorilla head cover for the longest time, I've upgraded now."

Erekson tees off Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

M.J. Hur of South Korea made five birdies and was the first-round leader (67) and winner's share of the $80,000 purse is $11,200.

LOCAL NOTES: Alistair Catto of South Hadley shared low amateur honors and tied for eighth place at the Massachusetts Senior Open. He carded rounds of 76 and even-par 71 at Holden Hills CC . . . Dan Banks of West Suffield and West Hartford pair Greg Macko and Tim Muecci were co-medalists with 70s at the Connecticut PGA Junior Golf Tour's Frank Kringle Junior at East Mountain CC in Westfield. Elizabeth Monty of North Granby, Conn., was girls medalist with a 68.